


hanging on my lover's breath || always coming second best

by twinfang



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Smallville
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Lois Lane-centric, Shippy Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:21:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28023087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twinfang/pseuds/twinfang
Summary: Lois demands a job at Angel Investigations, and finds out about the Slayer. Angel S1, AU.
Relationships: Angel/Lois Lane
Kudos: 1





	hanging on my lover's breath || always coming second best

"You want what?" Angel deadpanned, his eyebrows rising only the tiniest increment, though Lois could read the vast amounts of surprise written in that slight gesture.  
  
She tilted her chin up proudly, folding her arms over her chest.  
  
"A job. Working _with_ you guys. You know," she said, gesturing with her head towards the plaque Cordelia had had framed and stuck up on his wall. "Angel _Investigations_ means you need investigators." He continued to stare at her stupidly for a minute, so she added: "And I'm a pro at investigating." The _duh_ seemed to go unspoken. "Do you need references? Because I can do references."   
  
"What? No," he said quickly, a hand moving to his forehead as he tried to process this. "I just don't understand how you--"  
  
"Found you?" she said, seeming to perk up smugly. "Oh _please_. You don't expect a girl to go from getting her life saved to finding out Dracula's actually living and not-breathing in LA as a self-styled superhero, to just packing it up and going home, do you?"  
  
Angel considered for a second before giving the slightest shrug and a helpless: "... Uh, actually, yeah, I kinda did."  
  
"Well, that was your first mistake," Lois said, unfolding her arms to slam a newspaper down on the desk in front of him triumphantly. "And your second was sticking to the city. I started scouring papers and once you know what to look for, it gets pretty easy to spot exactly where the criminal element's probably a little long in the tooth. I started mapping out sightings and it seems like things actually get worse the closer you get to _here_." She pointed at the spot on the map she'd drawn all over, and could have sworn she'd seen him wince.  
  
"While I appreciate the research, there's already somebody handling that end of things," he said, pushing the map away from him. If he wasn't a blood sucking vampire, Lois would have sworn he looked like he suddenly needed a drink. Did vampires still drink booze too? If not, she felt a sudden sharp sense of pity for the guy. "Lois, I don't think it's a good idea--"  
  
"Someone like who?" she pressed, ignoring where he was obviously going with that statement. "Don't tell me Bunnicula's fighting crime a few towns over."  
  
"She's a Slayer," he said, and all the years he'd probably lived seemed to find their way into the lines of his face instantly. "A human chosen to hunt vampires." Lois' eyes narrowed for a second.  
  
"I'm sensing some bad blood here," she said, gesticulating with her fingers, before stopping herself, ".. or is that a phrase your kind... prefers to avoid?"  
  
"No, it's not like that," he said, pinching his nose. He probably should have added more, but he didn't seem about to.  
  
Lois got the picture fast.  
  
"Oh." Pause. " _Oh_." And another, as all the weird implications of that sank in: "... _oh_."  
  
"... can we move on to another syllable now?" he asked, not really meeting her gaze.  
  
"Sorry, it's just... seems a little masochistic, doesn't it? For both of you? I mean, forbidden romance much, sure, but that stuff only really ends up being romantic on the silver screen..." She stopped mid-ramble, but when she realized he was staring at her. "... Which I'm guessing you know already. I'm done now."  
  
"Can we... stay on the subject of you working here?" he asked, and the painful awkwardness he was feeling seemed to worm its way into his voice.  
  
"You got it," she said, with a smile, reaching over to scoop up the papers, and throwing on a smile, " _Boss_."  
  
"... Boss? Waitaminute, I never said--" he started, but she'd already turned on her heel to go.  
  
"I'll be in at 8," she said, grinning over her shoulder at him from the doorway. She paused there a second, considering, then amended: "Actually, make that 9. I'll pick up donuts."  
  
"I can't eat donuts."  
  
"See you then, Boss."  
  
The door slammed shut behind her, leaving Angel slouched in his seat staring at it, with his mouth still half open.

**Author's Note:**

> Song prompt: Ask for Answers by Placebo
> 
> Written 12/25/10


End file.
